Mike Bloomberg on Defense as Democratic Candidates Face Off in Las Vegas

It was former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s first night on a Democratic debate stage Wednesday night and it all came up: stop and frisk, nondisclosure agreements with women at his company, his past comments blaming the end of redlining for the mortgage meltdown, his previous support for Republicans and conservative policies.

But Bloomberg wasn’t the only one playing defense at times during the bout in Las Vegas, as the entire field leveled tough criticisms and allegations at their opponents. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren repeatedly grabbed the spotlight, with zingers aimed at not just Bloomberg but also former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the race’s current frontrunner.

And Warren wasn’t the only candidate on her toes — or the only one attacking Bloomberg. One of the most heated exchanges of the night came when moderators asked Bloomberg about a series of nondisclosure agreements made with women who alleged a hostile working environment at his company. Bloomberg — who has refused to release the women from the agreements — was asked about alleged comments he has made.

“I have no tolerance for the kind of behavior the ‘Me Too’ movement has exposed, and anybody does anything wrong in my company, we investigate and if they did anything wrong, they are gone the next day,” Bloomberg said, before going on to list the number of women who worked for him at his philanthropic foundation, his private media company and city hall.

Warren hit back immediately.

“I hope you heard what his defense was .... ‘I have been nice to some women’ — that just doesn't cut it,” she said. “He has gotten some number of women, a dozen, who knows, to sign NDAs.”

Warren then turned to Bloomberg: “Are you willing to release them so we can hear their side of the story?” she asked to cheers in the debate hall.

Bloomberg demurred, saying that both sides agreed to what he later called the “consensual” agreements. Warren pushed back — as did former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders. All three tied the NDAs to the central issue within the Democratic primary: Which candidate is going to be able to beat President Donald Trump.

Sanders pivoted to what he framed as Bloomberg’s other weaknesses.

“Maybe we should also talk about how Bloomberg supported George W. Bush for president in 2004,” Sanders said. “Maybe we can talk about a billionaire saying we should not raise the minimum wage, or that we should cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. If that’s a way to beat Donald Trump, wow, am I surprised.”

But Sanders found himself the focus of attacks as well.

Buttigieg warned that nominating Sanders or Bloomberg, “the two most polarizing people on this stage … a socialist and a billionaire” would mean that Democrats cannot win back the White House.

“We shouldn’t have to choose between a candidate who wants to burn the party down and one who wants to sell this party out,” Buttigieg said about Sanders and Bloomberg.

Sanders was put on the defensive over reports that his supporters were online bullies, threatening anyone who disagrees with or challenges his positions.

“Leadership is also about how you motivate people to treat other people,” Buttigieg said.

Amy Klobuchar also piped up.

“I have an idea how we can stop sexism on the internet — we could nominate a woman for president of United States,” she said.

Bloomberg repeatedly faced attack for being wealthy, but the media mogul pushed back.

“We’re not going to throw out capitalism. We tried that. Other countries tried that. It was called communism, and it didn’t work,” he said.

Sanders countered, arguing that when Trump receives “$800 million in tax breaks” to build luxury housing, “that’s socialism for the rich.”

But Bloomberg conceded that “the rich aren’t paying their fair share.”

The debate exposed some of the sharpest differences and the harsh feelings between the candidates. Several of them yelled and talked over each other at times.

It also reflected the high stakes for these six Democrats as the field continues to winnow down, and voters are starting to weigh in.

The outcome of the Nevada caucuses is being closely watched, because it's the first diverse state to weigh in — one that is far more representative of the Democratic electorate than Iowa or New Hampshire. Sanders is considered the favorite to win, but a second-place showing for any of his opponents could help propel their candidacies as the race heads to South Carolina and then 14 states — including California — on Super Tuesday, March 3.

After Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada represents a stark change in demographics in the campaign for president. According to the U.S. census, just under 50% of Nevadans are white, 29% are Latino, 10% are Black and 9% are Asian.

Yet it wasn't until the last 20 minutes of the debate that immigration finally came up — with the candidates sparring over who has been the most effective advocate for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The debate's importance was heightened by its proximity to Super Tuesday when voters in California and 13 other states, including Texas, Virginia and Colorado, will choose nearly one-third of all the delegates up for grabs this primary season.

A new poll this week by the Public Policy Institute of California found Sen. Bernie Sanders solidifying his lead in the state. The 78-year-old Vermonter was the top choice of 32% of likely voters, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden at 14%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 13% and former Mayors Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg with 12% each.

No one else hit double digits. The results show a steep decline for Biden in California from the January PPIC poll, where Biden had 24% compared with 27% for Sanders and 23% for Warren.

The California Secretary of State's office sent out 16 million vote-by-mail ballots earlier this month, and returned ballots are beginning to trickle in. According to the ballot tracking firm Political Data, Inc., about 8% of those ballots were returned as of Tuesday. Many voters may wait until after the South Carolina debate on Feb. 25 to see whether their favorite candidate is still viable before voting.